The Demon's Halo
by The Irish Baroness
Summary: Kirihara Akaya makes everyone nervous. Even his own fangirls are too afraid to approach him. Sachiyo must be insane to actually want to spend time with him for a good grade on an English project. It all better be worth it!
1. Her Reluctance and His Uninterest

* * *

**The Demon's Halo**

_The Irish Baroness_

(All Standard Disclaimers Apply)

* * *

**Chapter One**

_Her Reluctance and His Uninterest_

* * *

It was unnerving. Sachiyo fingered her pencil nervously, her violet eyes fixated on the boy in front of her. It was definitely not her idea to be stuck with _him _for their English project. If Sachiyo had her way, she would be writing the paper with her best friend, Akemi.

But Akemi was doing the project with a different classmate.

And Sachiyo was stuck with _Kirihara Akaya. _

The project partners were sitting in the library. Sachiyo had spent the previous hour scouring the library's shelves, searching for resources to aid them with their paper. Kirihara strolled into the library forty-five minutes later than appointed, claiming he was caught up with tennis. It didn't surprise Sachiyo at all.

Yawning carelessly, Kirihara leaned back in his seat and eyed Sachiyo unimpressed. The smaller girl fidgeted under his gaze, and quickly turned her attention to a book lying between them. Reaching for it, she pulled it closer and flipped it open to skim its contents. Kirihara yawned again, and slumped lower into his chair while plopping his feet on the table, ignoring Sachiyo's disapproving scowl.

"Our project," Sachiyo said, taking the initiative to begin their project, "is to write a paper in English about something that we enjoy."

"Sounds easy enough," shrugged Kirihara.

Sachiyo's violet eyes flickered over the edge of the book at the uninterested tennis player. "It does," she agreed. "But from what I've noticed from class, you aren't… very good with the English language."

Kirihara rolled his eyes. "That's why you're going to write the paper, _Sachi-chan_," said Kirihara, laying emphasis on Sachiyo's nickname.

Sachiyo flinched and quickly tucked her long auburn hair behind her ear while glancing down to avoid Kirihara's condescending gaze. The second year tennis regular was notorious for being a forceful and callous boy. Although he had his fangirls like every other regular on the tennis team, his fangirls were actually _afraid _of him and never approached him.

"I refuse to do all of the work," Sachiyo said simply, refusing to meet Kirihara's eyes.

Sachiyo jumped slightly when Kirihara's feet dropped noisily to the floor and he leaned over the table towards the slightly shaken girl. Without looking up, Sachiyo knew that the demon tennis player was trying to intimidate her… but she wasn't going to appear frightened to satisfy him.

"Repeat that?" he hissed, his green eyes burning holes into Sachiyo.

Sachiyo lifted her gaze, forcing herself to appear unfazed by Kirihara's icy glare. "I refuse to do all of the work."

There was an awful silence between the project partners as Kirihara leaned towards the stone-faced girl, her violet eyes and his green eyes locked in a silent battle. Finally, Kirihara backed off. Sitting back down into his seat, he shoved his hand carelessly through his curly hair and sighed tiredly, allowing Sachiyo to win this battle.

"Fine," he growled, "I'll help."

A small smile played on Sachiyo's lips as she heard the sense of defeat in his voice. It was obvious he was worn down from tennis practice, allowing Sachiyo to have her way. "Okay," she said happily, "I don't think this paper will be too hard. All we have to do is write about something that we like. Do you have any ideas?"

Kirihara shrugged.

"What's something that you like?" Sachiyo pressed on.

Kirihara drummed his fingertips on the table and rested his chin in his palm. Sighing he said, "I like annoying my sempais… I like scaring people… I like being intimidating… I like tennis—"

"That's it!"

Kirihara appeared confused. "What's it?"

"Tennis," said Sachiyo, "We can write about tennis."

"What? Do you like tennis?" inquired Kirihara.

Sachiyo shrugged. "I don't play, but I think it's an interesting sport. Besides, if we write about something that _you _like than maybe you'll be more involved."

Kirihara's green eyes narrowed on the determined girl across from him. Her violet eyes glimmered excitedly and her thin fingers played with the tips of her reddish hair. It surprised him that she wasn't freaked out by him like the other girls were. "Whatever," he mumbled.

"Good," said Sachiyo, fishing out a notebook out of her bag and twirling her pencil in her right hand. "Let's begin. Tell me what specifically you like about tennis."

Kirihara was silent at first, unsure where to begin. Eventually, he began naming off things he enjoyed about the sport and the competition. Sachiyo nodded every so often, her hand flying across her notebook as she jotted down notes. Before the two of them knew it, two hours had passed and it was time to leave.

"So, that's it?" asked Kirihara, glancing across the table at his partner.

Sachiyo gathered a few books in her arms before standing up. "For today," she told him. "But I'd like to come see one of your tennis practices. Are you guys training, tomorrow?"

"Yeah," answered Kirihara, standing up and hoisting his tennis bag over his shoulder. "So I guess you're coming?"

"Just to watch and maybe get some ideas on why _I _like tennis. The paper can't _all _be about you."

Kirihara snorted. "Whatever."

"See you tomorrow, Kirihara-kun."

Kirihara gave Sachiyo an apathetic wave as he turned to leave the library. "Later."

---

"_I'm so sorry that you're stuck with that demon_," moped Akemi.

Sachiyo was lounging on her bed, her cell phone pressed to her ear as she chatted with her best friend. The books she checked out from the library were piled on her desk as well as the notebook containing the reasons why Kirihara Akaya liked tennis.

"He's not that bad," insisted Sachiyo, raking her fingers through her hair. "He's not all scary if you hold your own ground against him."

"_You're so brave, Sachi. If he was my partner, I would just do the entire paper myself just to avoid having to be with him. He scares me. I can't believe he actually has fangirls."_

"You're being dramatic," argued Sachiyo. "We made progress, today. We're going to write our paper on tennis."

"_Tennis?_" repeated Akemi.

"Yeah, Kirihara-kun likes tennis and if we write about something that he likes then he'll be more involved with the project."

"_That's smart_," admitted Akemi. "_But do _you_ like tennis?_"

Sachiyo shrugged. "Sure I do. It's a cool sport."

"_Alright… well, good luck. I have to go and finish my homework. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay_?"

Sachiyo smiled. "Alright, see you tomorrow!"

Sachiyo waited until the line went dead before she pulled her phone away from her ear and tossed it carelessly towards the foot of her bed. Flipping unto her back, the violet-eyed girl tucked her hands under her head and stared up at her bedroom ceiling. She wasn't nervous about going to Kirihara's tennis practice the next day. In fact, she was excitedly anticipating it. Although Kirihara appeared rough and insensitive, Sachiyo couldn't help but notice something soft about his deep, green eyes.

* * *

"So you showed up, huh?" noted Kirihara, balancing his racket on his shoulders.

Sachiyo smiled. "Of course. I said I'd come, didn't I?"

Kirihara shrugged. "I thought you would freak out or something."

The two of them were standing outside the Rikkaidai tennis courts. Sachiyo was dressed in the school uniform while Kirihara had already changed into the bright yellow of the tennis uniform. There were still a few minutes before practice, so club members were just starting to arrive to the courts, casting Kirihara and Sachiyo surprised and curious stares as they passed.

"Why would I freak out?" Sachiyo asked calmly.

Before Kirihara could respond, a taunting chuckle could be heard behind him. Turning around, he saw his senpais, Marui Bunta and Niou Masaharu. The sugar-lover teasingly ruffled Kirihara's curls as the trickster eyed Sachiyo curiously.

"Who's this?" purred Niou, nudging Kirihara playfully. "A girlfriend?"

Sachiyo felt her face burn. "No," she said, "we're just partners for an English project."

A green bubble emerged from between Marui's lips. It disappeared in a loud 'pop' and he smirked. "She's pretty cute, Kirihara, when do you plan on asking her out on a date?"

"I'm not asking her out," growled Kirihara.

"But look at her," argued Niou, bending down to meet Sachiyo's violet eyes. "She's really pretty. Hey, if you don't ask her out… I think I will."

Kirihara punched his silver-haired senpai in the arm and stepped possessively towards Sachiyo. Marui and Niou watched in mild amusement as he glared at the two of them pointedly. "She's only here to watch practice for a project. She's not interested in either of you."

"I don't know," hummed Marui. "Let the cutie decide for herself."

Sachiyo wished the ground could swallow her up when three pairs of eyes turned at her expectantly. She fiddled nervously with the hem of her skirt and bowed her head shyly. "Oh, I'm just here to watch. I'm not looking to be… anyone's girlfriend."

"See," snapped Kirihara, turning back to his senpais, "she's not interested."

"In us," Niou said snidely, "but I think you still have a chance, _Akaya-kun_. Make us proud."

Kirihara's ears turned an unmistakable red. "Shut up!" he snarled. "Go away!"

Marui popped another bubble and chuckled. "Sure, we'll give you and your pretty girlfriend some alone time."

"She's not my girlfriend!" roared Kirihara, waving his fist angrily at his senpais as they ran off, laughing at their second year's irritation.

To Kirihara's dismay, his loud denial of having a girlfriend was heard across the tennis courts and everyone turned towards the fuming regular. Embarrassed, Sachiyo tucked her hair behind her ear and averted her eyes from any mocking faces, amused at the thought that the rough second year _actually _had a girlfriend.

Grabbing Sachiyo's wrist, Kirihara began to pull her towards the special training facility. "Let's get out of here," he growled, his ears still a bright red.

Sachiyo nodded and wordlessly trailed behind the tennis regular as he quickly led her towards a large building of indoor courts where the regulars underwent special training. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, the pair of them passed through the doors and through a brightly lit hallway until they reached the courts.

"I'll just… go sit over there," Sachiyo told Kirihara, pointing towards a bench set off to the side of the court.

Kirihara nodded. "Yeah, you do that." He shot Marui and Niou a threatening glare as they watched the pair, their eyes sparkling with utter delight at their kouhai's mortification.

_Kirihara doesn't seem as frightening when he's teased by his senpais_, Sachiyo thought to herself, lowering herself unto the bench, _He actually blushed when Niou was poking fun at him. _The girl smiled slightly to herself. Maybe he wasn't so harsh, after all.

"Hey, are you paying attention?" demanded Kirihara. "Stop daydreaming and watch."

Sachiyo scowled. _Or I could be wrong._

* * *

_This isn't going to be as long as my _New Beginnings _story... which I have not abandoned! I just felt an intense urge to write a Kirihara one-shot. I dunno, I really like him :) he entertains me._

_- The Irish Baroness_


	2. Her Persuasion and His Regret

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_Her Persuasion and His Regret_

* * *

Sachiyo dropped her pen and flexed her cramped fingers. She had spent the past hour and a half taking notes about what she liked about tennis in her notebook. This was the third practice she attended and her notebook was bloated with little quips about the pros and cons of tennis. Glancing down at her watch, she decided it was time to leave.

As she was stuffing her books back into her bag, she didn't notice a certain regular approach her until he was looming over her, his green eyes a mixture of reluctance and determination. "Kinjo-chan," said Kirihara, "can I… escort you home?"

Sachiyo's head snapped up. She peered at her classmate curiously, her violet eyes narrowing. "Why would you want to do that?" she asked, skeptically.

Kirihara bit his lip and glanced over at Niou and Marui. The pair grinned cheekily and flashed their kouhai a thumbs up. Sighing, he turned back to Sachiyo. "Well… you've stayed later at this practice than the others and the sun's starting to go do down… I was ordered–er–asked to take you home."

Sachiyo stood up, throwing her school bag over her shoulder. "Since you've offered," she said, grinning, "I would love to have you walk me home."

Kirihara rolled his eyes and shot his senpais one last venomous glare as he and his project partner made there way out of the tennis facility and towards the front gates of the school. Nothing was said between the two of them as they passed through the school's gates and down a sidewalk, shaded by overhanging trees. Streetlamps began to flicker on as the sun sunk further and further into the horizon.

"So why'd you stick around so long?" Kirihara asked suddenly.

Sachiyo glanced up at him. "I guess…" she said, sighing, "I can't really put into words what I like about tennis. I thought I could… but it's harder than I thought."

Kirihara blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah," admitted Sachiyo. "You and the other regulars make tennis look so easy and, while I try to list what intrigues me about it, it feels like something is missing."

Kirihara pursed his lips. "Have you ever… played tennis?"

"No."

"Well, then that's it," deduced Kirihara. "You can't put to words what you like about tennis since you've never tried it. You've never felt the adrenaline as you read your opponent's actions and reacting to them, you've never felt the strain on your body as you push yourself to be better, and you've never felt the thrill of winning a match after a series of physically-draining games."

Sachiyo stared up at the tennis regular with a mixture of shock and awe. She had never heard the rough and unconcerned demon on the courts sound so genuine and sincere. The way he described tennis made her heart swell. She blushed slightly as he turned to look at her, his green eyes boring into her violet ones.

"What?" he said gruffly.

Sachiyo grinned. "Nothing… just… the way you described tennis. It was very poetic."

Whenever Kirihara was embarrassed, Sachiyo noted, the demon's ears turned a bright red. And right now, they reflected a bright crimson underneath his dark curls. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"So are you going to teach me?"

Kirihara sharply returned his gaze to Sachiyo. "What?"

"So are you going to teach me?" repeated Sachiyo. "To play tennis."

Kirihara bit his lip unsurely and avoided the girl's hopeful gaze. "I don't think that's a good idea…" he said slowly.

Sachiyo frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm not the sort of guy you want to play tennis with," explained Kirihara. "I'm not one to be… kind on the courts."

"You mean your demon-style of play?" clarified Sachiyo.

Kirihara nodded his head sullenly.

"I'm not afraid of your tennis," Sachiyo assured him, reaching out to grip his arm, "I trust you."

Kirihara stared at the girl incredulously. Then his surprised gape twisted into an amused smirk. "You're a stubborn and crazy girl, did you know that?" he told her.

Sachiyo beamed. "So does that mean you'll teach me to play?"

"Sure, I guess… when do you want to start?"

"Right now!" suggested Sachiyo, pointing towards the public tennis courts that were entering their line of view. "You have an extra racket, don't you?"

Kirihara sighed. "Yeah… Okay. But we can't stay long. It's going to be dark soon."

"My house is really close to here," Sachiyo informed him, "I'll be fine."

Kirihara gave one last defeated sigh as Sachiyo began to pull him towards the pair of public tennis courts. Bright lights bathed the courts in an artificial day and supplied the pair of them a sufficient amount of light for a friendly match… or as friendly as Kirihara could make a match to be. There was a slight sickening feeling in his stomach as he stood poised at one end of the court, a racket in his hand while Sachiyo stood confidently across from him, his extra racket in her possession.

"I'm ready!" she called out to him. "What do I do first?"

Kirihara held a tennis ball to his racket and prepared to start a simple rally. "Right now, we'll just pass it back and forth to each other."

Sachiyo nodded eagerly, mimicking a starting crouch she had seen the regulars do at practice. Taking a deep breath, Kirihara gently bounced the ball off his racket and sent it towards Sachiyo. Although she lacked training, Sachiyo was adequate as she was able to return hit and send it back towards Kirihara.

"Out," called Kirihara.

Sachiyo scowled. "What do you mean? It bounced within the line!"

"Yeah, the _doubles line_. We're playing singles," he informed her, walking over to retrieve the ball.

After having the ball back into his possession, Kirihara copied the friendly hit he had done before and sent Sachiyo another easy ball. This time, Sachiyo was able to return it within the singles court and Kirihara sent it back to her. Sachiyo laughed as they performed a simple rally and a small smile tugged at Kirihara's lips as her laughter echoed throughout the court.

It wasn't until Sachiyo was becoming more confident with their rallies that Kirihara was growing nervous. He wasn't used to this simple play of tennis, and it was testing his self-control. Gritting his teeth, he began hitting balls harder and harder to Sachiyo which she miraculously returned. Sachiyo was too absorbed in their friendly match that she didn't spy the shadow of red that was creeping into Kirihara's eyes.

"I think we should stop," Kirihara said suddenly, catching the ball.

Sachiyo stared at him questioningly. "Why not? Am I getting too good for you?" she teased.

Goosebumps erupted on Kirihara's arms as he stared into Sachiyo's taunting violet eyes. Her ponytail swung rhythmically behind her as she bounced from one foot to the other, anticipating him to hit her the ball. _Just one more rally_, Kirihara instructed himself, _you can do this_.

Eyeing the ball carefully, Kirihara threw it into the air and allowed his racket to collide with it. He wasn't watching the court as he hit Sachiyo the ball. He wasn't watching where she was standing, her eager eyes watching him excitedly. He wasn't watching as her violet eyes suddenly grew wide as the ball pounded into her leg, causing her to fall forward, scraping her shin on the rough court. He only glanced up in time to see Sachiyo lying on the court, clutching her leg and whimpering in pain.

"Kinjo-chan!" Kirihara called out, dropping his racket and sprinting over to Sachiyo's crumpled form.

Jumping over the tennis net, he knelt down at the fallen girl, his green eyes sweeping fearfully over her writhing body. Sachiyo was biting her lip, her eyes clenched shut as she grabbed at her shin, blood seeping through her fingers. Hesitating, Kirihara reached out to touch her, unsure what to do.

"Kinjo-chan," he said, cupping her face, forcing her to look up at him, "I'm so sorry. I knew this was a bad idea. I knew you would get hurt. I should have never–let me… let me take you home."

"My house," said Sachiyo through clenched teeth, struggling to sit up, "is down the street. 'Kinjo' is on the mailbox."

Kirihara nodded, and bent forward to scoop the girl into his arms. His eyes flickered to their bags over at the benches. So, holding Sachiyo to his chest, he hoisted his tennis bag and her school bag over his shoulder before sliding his arm under her knees to lift her completely off the ground.

His somber eyes glanced down at Sachiyo's face every once in a while, his green eyes watching her grimacing face sadly. Blood trickled down her shin; the source was a nasty scrape she received when she skidded across the court. His forceful hit was the cause, of course. Mentally slapping himself, he passed through the front gates of her house and paused at the front door.

"Let me down here," Sachiyo instructed Kirihara, tugging at his shirt. "I'll let myself in. My dad isn't home yet. He won't get back from the hospital until late."

Kirihara obediently lowered the injured girl to her feet, but refused to let go of her waist as she fished for her house key in her school bag that was still hanging from Kirihara's shoulder. "You can let me go," she told him, inserting the key into the lock while balancing on her good leg.

Kirihara shook his head. "You're hurt and you said you're here by yourself."

Sachiyo pushed open the front door and limped inside. She turned around before Kirihara could cross the threshold and barred his way from entering. "I'm fine," she told him harshly. "My dad's a doctor. I know how to take care of myself. Go home."

"But—"

"Please," begged Sachiyo, cutting him off, "just go home. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Kirihara opened his mouth to argue but then closed it when he saw the pleading look in Sachiyo's eyes. Sighing, he slid her school bag off his shoulder and held it out for her. "I'm sorry," he said weakly.

Sachiyo hesitated before accepting her bag. For a moment, her eyes reflected his pity. "I know," she said, her fingers curling around the handle of her bag, "you couldn't help it."

Kirihara wanted to argue that this wasn't true. That he wasn't always a demon on the courts. But he said nothing as Sachiyo stepped back to shut the door, leaving Kirihara standing dumbly on her front porch. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kirihara turned to leave. His step lost its confident vigor as he strolled down the street, the streetlamps causing shadows to dance across his sullen face.

* * *

"What happened?" gasped Akemi, her dark eyes studying Sachiyo's bandage.

Sachiyo sighed. "It's no big deal," she assured her worried friend, "I… fell."

Akemi stared Sachiyo pointedly. "Fell," she repeated. "Since when do you fall? You've never been a klutz!"

Sachiyo shrugged and returned her attention to the contents of her notebook. After wrapping up her injury, last night, which looked much less gruesome after it was cleaned of blood and dirt, she forced herself to take notes about her experiences on the court. As she replayed the rallies she shared with Kirihara the evening before in her mind, she grudgingly admitted to herself that she enjoyed it… that is, until what ended their friendly match.

Akemi peered over her shoulder and read Sachiyo's notes. "You played tennis with Kirihara-kun, huh?" Suddenly, her eyes grew wide. "_'Fell' my foot!_" she cried, "You hurt her leg playing tennis with that demon player!"

Sachiyo turned to hush her friend, when a familiar figure standing frozen in the doorway of their homeroom caught her eye. Kirihara was late that morning, again, and arrived just in time to hear Akemi's outburst. Sachiyo felt her heart leap into her throat in pity his doleful eyes met her own.

"Kirihara-kun," sighed the teacher, "you're late, again. Go to your seat so we can begin class."

Akemi shot daggers with her eyes at Kirihara as he slowly shuffled towards his desk at the far side of the room. Sachiyo's violet eyes followed his movements sadly, realizing that he truly felt bad for hurting her. Refusing to meet her gaze, Kirihara dropped into his seat and dejectedly cradled his forehead in his palm.

_I shouldn't have been so cold to him_, Sachiyo thought glumly to herself_, I'll talk to him after class_.

But Sachiyo never had the chance. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of a free period, and Kirihara raced out of the classroom before she had the chance to speak with him. Assuming he had disappeared to go the tennis courts, Sachiyo hurried out of the school and towards the sport facilities. It was there she spied two familiar senpais.

"Niou-senpai! Marui-senpai!" she called out to them.

Marui and Niou glanced up at the sound of their names. Spying the second year hurrying towards them, the two regulars approached the chain-link fence as Sachiyo moved towards them from the other side. Niou gave a sharp whistle when he noticed the large bandage wrapped around her leg.

"Hey, cutie, what happened to your leg?" he asked.

Sachiyo shrugged off her nickname, having been used to it at that point. "I was playing a match with Kirihara-kun," she said hurriedly, "he ran off at the bell before I could talk to him. Is he here?"

Marui's eyes grew wide and the bubble he had been blowing gave a loud pop. "You played a match with Kirihara?" he asked incredulously. "Jeez, you could have been seriously hurt."

"I know," moaned Sachiyo, "he was trying to warn me before I forced him to play with me. I was cold to him last night and I know he feels really bad for what happened and I'd like to talk to him, so is he here?"

Niou shook his head. "Sorry, Kinjo-chan, he's not here. Try the cafeteria. He's probably stuffing his face with grub."

Sachiyo frowned slightly at the piece of information that Kirihara wasn't at the courts. Bowing curtly to her senpais, she turned to hurry towards the cafeteria. "Thank you, Marui-senpai, Niou-senpai!" she called over her shoulder.

Slowing to a quick walk when her injury began to protest, Sachiyo hurried towards the cafeteria. After pushing open the double doors, her violet eyes desperately scanned the interior, looking for a familiar head of curls. Once she realized that Kirihara wasn't there, she turned on her heel and determinedly began to scour the school. After searching through empty classrooms, hallways, and even up on the roof, she couldn't find her little demon.

"Where is he?" she muttered sorrowfully to herself as the bell signaling the end of the period echoed throughout the school.

---

"He's got to be at tennis practice," Sachiyo told herself, hurrying towards the tennis courts.

She didn't have a class with Kirihara for the remainder of the day and she was unable to catch a glimpse of him in the halls or at lunch. But she was determined to find him and speak with him. Striding confidently up to the chain-link fence of the courts, it wasn't Niou or Marui standing by the benches, but Sanada.

"Sanada-senpai," said Sachiyo unsurely, wilting slightly when he turned his impenetrable stare to her, "I'm here to find—"

"Kirihara," he interrupted her, "I know."

"Is he here?"

Sanada's eyebrows pulled together. "I was hoping he was with you."

"You mean," said Sachiyo, her heart sinking, "he's not here?"

Sanada crossed his arms across his chest and returned his gaze to the other regulars who were warming up for practice. "He's going to be in huge trouble since he's missing practice for no valid reason," he growled.

_Oh no_. "Thank you, Sanada-senpai," Sachiyo said quickly, performing a swift bow, "I'll look for him."

Sanada gave a curt grunt in response as Sachiyo turned to leave the courts. Her heart fluttered worriedly as she passed through the school gates and hurried down the sidewalk. She thought that perhaps he was at the public courts since she couldn't find him anywhere else. But when she reached there, the only people who were on the courts were a group of young boys playing a friendly match… and none of them were Kirihara.

Feeling dejected, Sachiyo gave a loud sigh and decided just to return home. The next day there was no school and Sachiyo couldn't think of a time then where she could speak with him. Biting the inside of her cheek, she pulled out the key to her house and inserted it into the lock. Like the night before, her dad wouldn't be home until later, leaving Sachiyo the house to herself.

_Kirihara_, Sachiyo thought to herself,slipping off her shoes in the foyer and flicking on the lights, _where are you?_

* * *

_Yes! Another chapter! And the next day after the first, too :)_

_I'm foreseeing... another chapter or two... and that should be it :) No, I'm serious *cough_DifferentChild_cough*_

_This ain't gonna be another _New Beginnings_ definitely ^.^_

_Thanks for reading!_

_OH! And if there's anything bothering you whether it's my literal writing or my lack of trivial knowledge of Rikkai let me know :)_

_- The Irish Baroness_


	3. Her Surprise and His Confession

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_Her Surprise and His Confession_

* * *

"Here."

Sachiyo blinked, surprised to see Kirihara standing at her front door. Speechless for a moment, Sachiyo slowly accepted the folder her project partner held out for her. His green eyes refused to meet her confused gaze as she pulled the papers out of his hands and inspected the title.

_He did the entire English project! _She realized, her eyes widening.

When Sachiyo neglected to say anything, Kirihara stuffed his hands into his jean's pockets and turned to leave. "So I guess," he mumbled, "I'll see you at school."

"Kirihara Akaya_, you idiot!_"

Kirihara spun around, his eyes wide at Sachiyo's sudden fury. Her violet eyes glared at him angrily, her pale lips twisted into an irate scowl. Kirihara sighed. "I know you're mad about your leg," he grumbled, "I wrote the paper as an apology."

Sachiyo blanched. "Is that why you think I'm mad?" she demanded.

"That's not it?"

"Of course not!" cried Sachiyo. "I've been looking for you everywhere! You didn't even show up to your tennis practice, yesterday! Sanada-senpai is going to have some serious punishment for you! I thought something happened to you! _Don't scare me like that, again!_"

Kirihara stumbled back under the unexpected weight that collided into him. Sachiyo fell into his arms, gripping him tightly to her. Kirihara was flustered for a moment, his arms hovering around Sachiyo, questioning if he should return the embrace. Finally, he relaxed and allowed his arms to grip Sachiyo's waist.

"You're so stupid," continued Sachiyo, her voice muffled by Kirihara's shirt, "I was so worried."

Kirihara rested his chin on Sachiyo's head. "Why?" he queried. "Why do you care?"

Sachiyo pulled away, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. She pursed her lips for a second, mulling something over. "Because," she finally said. "You tend to grow on people, Akaya-kun."

Kirihara blushed when she used his first name. "Well if that's it," he mumbled, squirming out of Sachiyo's arms, "Then I have to go. You can read the paper, if you want. And if you were wondering where I've been, I've been at the library working on it"

Sachiyo blinked as Kirihara stepped back, offering her a mock solute before turning on his heel and walking through her home's front gate. Clutching their English project in her hand, she watched as her partner ambled away, his head cast down and his black curls hiding his eyes.

_He's been at the library this entire time?_ she thought dubiously to herself, _he hates the library_.

Turning her attention to their paper, Sachiyo stepped back into her house and quietly closed the door behind her. Her father had been called to the hospital by an important page leaving Sachiyo alone, once again. Her violet eyes skimmed the contents of the project as she slowly ascended the staircase and made her way to her bedroom.

"Kirihara Akaya," she chuckled to herself, sitting down into her desk chair, "your English is horrible."

Indeed, Kirihara's English was broken and lacked the intelligent speech of someone older than a five-year-old. But, Sachiyo noted, its content was impressive. Looking past the grammar errors, Sachiyo found that the second year tennis regular wrote a very meaningful paper.

He wrote about what he loved about tennis. And most of it, realized Sachiyo, included the meaningless rally she shared with him on the public court. He wrote about her laughter as they played, the way her eyes lit up when she was able to return the ball and her pout of disappointment whenever it bounced out. According to Kirihara, he learned that tennis wasn't always about being the best you could be, but just being happy playing the sport.

Taking a red pen out of her desk drawer, Sachiyo began to correct his grammar mistakes, while at the same time inserting her own views into the paper. Her work stretched on late into the day. When her father came home, he found her bent over her desk, her violet eyes directed entirely on her work and her pen flying across her paper as words came to her mind.

"I'm done," Sachiyo finally said, spreading the series of papers in front of her.

Standing up from her chair, she happily stuck the papers into her school bag. She was anxious about Kirihara's reaction when he would read what she inserted into their project. As she was working, Sachiyo realized that watching tennis practices didn't help her figure out what she liked about tennis, nor did actually playing the sport help. It wasn't so much the sport that she liked, but a certain someone who played it.

* * *

"Alright," said their teacher, approaching the front row of desks. "I need you all to pass up your English papers."

Her heart beating against her chest, Sachiyo fished hers and Kirihara's English project out of her school bag and handed it to the girl in front of her who in turn handed it to the teacher. Stealing a quick glance at Kirihara, she saw that he was avoiding her gaze, drawing doodles in his notebook.

Sighing slightly, Sachiyo turned her attention back to the front of the room. After having collected all of the papers, their teacher piled them unto his desk and then turned his attention back to his students. "Alright," he said, clapping his hands together, "Now that your papers have been handed in, let's begin our lesson."

But Sachiyo could hardly pay attention. Her mind kept drifting to a certain curly-haired boy. When she glanced over at his desk, she realized he was staring at her. When their eyes met, Kirihara blushed and quickly turned away. Sachiyo bit her lip and turned back to her notebook. She really wanted Kirihara to read their paper. Luckily, she made another copy that she planned on showing him later.

The bell shook her out of her reverie and Sachiyo quickly packed away her books. She wanted to catch Kirihara before he slipped out of the classroom. As soon as she stood from her seat, Kirihara was gliding past, his head bent to avert his eyes.

"Wait," called out Sachiyo, grabbing his wrist.

Kirihara sighed and glanced up to meet Sachiyo's gaze. "What?"

Sachiyo smiled, but refused to let go of his hand. "I want to show you something, come with me."

Kirihara seemed reluctant, but Sachiyo wouldn't let him escape. Leading him through the hallway flooded with students, Sachiyo took advantage of their free period to lead the demon tennis player up to the roof of the school. When she was sure they were alone, she pulled out the extra copy of their paper.

"Here," she said, handing it out to Kirihara, "I read what you wrote. It was very good. And…" Sachiyo smiled shyly, "I added some things to it."

Eyeing the girl curiously, Kirihara accepted the paper and began to read. Sachiyo stood nervously in front of him, anticipating his initial reaction. Occasionally as Kirihara's green eyes scanned the paper his eyebrows would shoot up or a small smile would play on his lips. There were even a few times when he blushed.

"So," prompted Sachiyo once Kirihara glanced up from the paper. "What do you think?"

Kirihara smirked and then stepped forward, crashing his lips down on Sachiyo's. Sachiyo gave a small yelp of surprise as she felt the unexpected warmth of his lips, but soon melted into the kiss. Moving her mouth along with his, she hooked her arms around his neck while Kirihara's strong arms supported her waist.

Sachiyo pulled away, her lips hovering under Kirihara's. "So I guess you like it?" she breathed.

"Not as much as I like you," he said hoarsely, licking his lips.

Sachiyo pressed her forehead against Kirihara's brow. She stared deeply into his pools of deep green as she contemplated their relationship. "When did we fall for each other?" she asked softly.

"It must have been when the teacher announced we were partners," Kirihara replied shyly.

Sachiyo blushed. "It was… then?"

"Well," said Kirihara, quickly looking away, "maybe before then… for a while…"

Sachiyo chuckled lightly and leaned forward to ignite another kiss. His lips were softer then she thought they would be and while his kiss was forceful, he was still gentle with the way his mouth moved against hers. Her mind swimming with bliss, Sachiyo busied her fingers with Kirihara's dark curls while his large hands supported her waist.

"Aha!"

Kirihara and Sachiyo broke away from their kiss in surprise at the unexpected interruption. The green-eyed boy's eyebrows pulled together in annoyance when they realized Niou and Marui had joined them on the roof, laughing hysterically.

"I–knew–it," Niou managed to sputter, stopping himself from falling over by gripping Marui's shoulder.

Marui was bent over, his gum hanging out of his mouth as he laughed madly. "I can't believe Kirihara's got a _girlfriend_."

Niou shot Sachiyo a thumb's up. "Way to go, cutie!"

A deep growl echoed in Kirihara's chest as he eyed his senpais angrily. Not wanting trouble, Sachiyo placed a hand at the side of his face and forced him to look at her. "Ignore them," she told him, leaning forward to gently press her lips against his, "they're just jealous."

Kirihara chuckled and returned all of his attention to the girl in his arms. Niou's and Marui's laughter died down. As the two second years intently ignored them, the two senpais exchanged unsure glances. "I think we should go," suggested Marui, backing away towards the door.

Niou nodded. "Yeah…"

When Sachiyo heard the click of door being closed, she pulled away. "See?" she said, "It worked."

"What worked?"

Sachiyo chuckled. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand, "Let's go."

Kirihara smirked and fell in step with Sachiyo as they crossed the distance towards the metal door that led back down into the school. Enjoying the warmth of her hand, Kirihara allowed a small smile to play on his lips as the pair strolled through an empty hallway.

Sachiyo spied this smile and pecked him on the cheek. "Hey, Akaya-kun," she said teasingly. "I think your halo is showing."

* * *

_Yes, this is the last chapter! Told you it would be short :)_

_But is this the end of my OC, Kinjo Sachiyo?... Probably not. I kind of like her. I think she'll pop up, again ^_^_

_Thanks for reading!_

_- The Irish Baroness_


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